Car-wheel and curve lubricator.



0. M. MATTFELDT.

GAR WHEEL AND CURVE LUBRICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 21,1915.

Patented Apr. 25,1916.

l? 22 gr OTTO M. MATTFELDT, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, ASSIGNOR. OF ONEFFOURTH TO FREDERICK L. DECKER, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

CAR-WHEEL CURVE LUBRICATOR.

Application filed July 21, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, O'r'ro M. MATTFELDT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful improve ments in Car-WVheel and Curve Lubricators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in car wheel and curve lubricators, and has for its object to provide means controlled by the operator of the car, or train, for applying the lubricant to the wheel flanges, and consequently to the rails, as the car approaches, and while rounding, a curve, to prevent friction between the flanges of the wheels and the rails when the car is going around a curve. a

It has been the custom heretofore to apply oil, or grease, to the rails at the curves, which is objectionable as it requires additional labor and the oil or grease is often wasted, resulting in the said oil or grease being carried onto the sidewalk by pedestrians and sometimes conveyed to their clothing. By my present invention I overcome these objections by the use of a lubricant that will not run or drop and which is applied to the wheel flanges and to the rail only in sufiicient quantities to prevent friction and the consequent wear of the wheel flanges and rail at the curves.

The invention consists of the novel con struction and arrangement of the parts and combination of parts hereinafter more fully set forth in the following specification and pointed out in detail in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l. is a side elevation of the truck of a car showing my invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view, on. an enlarged scale, of one of the lubricant holders. Fig. 41 is a perspective view of the stick of lubricant.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, forming part of this specification, and in which like reference numerals designate like parts throughout the several views thereof, 1 designates the wheels of one truck of a car. The two axles of the truck are provided with rods, 2. 2 on one side and rods 3, 3 on the opposite side of the truck, said rods being held to the axles by the collars 4: and are pivoted at 5 to permit of a slight upward. movement to accommodate the vi- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 25, 1916.

Serial No. 41,056.

bration of the car. 011 each of the rods 2 and 3 is mounted a lubricant holder 6 which has a recess 7 in one side into which the rods 2 and 3 fit and is held thereon by the bolts 8. In. the opposite side of the holder is a slot ,9 open at one end and running down to near the opposite end of the holder. One end of the lubricant holder is bifurcated and fits across the flange 10 of the wheel 11. The lubricant may be formed in the shape of a stick 12 with a pin 13 projecting from one side thereof which extends through the slot 9 of the holder 6. These sticks of lubricant are composed of graphite and other suitable lubricating material. The holders 6 adjacent the front wheels of the truck are connected by a rod 1 1 projecting through the aperature 15 at the top thereof and is adapted to revolve therein, and the holders 6 adjacent the rear wheels of the truck are connected by a rod 16 projecting through the aperture 15 at the top thereof and are adapted to revolve therein. On the outer ends of the rods 11 and 16 and fixedly secured are the arms 17 each of which is provided with an elongated slot 18 near its lower end adapted to take over the pin 13 projecting from one side of the stick of lubricating material contained in the holder. The rod 16 is provided with an upwardly projecting arm 18 fixed thereto and the rod 141 is provided with a rock arm 19 fixed thereto and having its lower end connected to the arm 18 by the rod 20. Near the front of the car is a bell crank lever 21 pivoted at 22 and having an elongated slot 23 in the end of the upper arm thereof which takes over the pin 24 projecting from the side of the nut 25 which latter is adapted to operate up and down on the threaded end of the crank rod 26. The rod 26 being provided with a crank 27 at its upper end in close proximity to and adapted to be operated by the operator of the car. The lower end of the bell-crank lever 21 is connected by a rod 28 to the upper end of the rock arm 19. The said rod 28 being provided with a swivel joint 29 to permit of the turning of the car on the truck when rounding a curve.

The operation of the device is as follows: The lubricant being in the holders as described, when the car approaches a curve the operator turns the crank 27 causing the nut 25 to revolve forcing the bell-crank onto-the track.

lever 21 to turn on the the rod 28 back, which through the medium of the arms 18 and 19 and rod 20, cause the rods 14 and 16 to revolve thereby causing the arms 17 to move in toward the wheels and carry the sticks of lubricant 12 down against the flange of the wheels and After the car has turned the curve the operator turns the crank 27 in the opposite direction slightly to withdraw the lubricant from the wheel flanges. This operation is repeated at each curve. Itwill thusbe seen that the amount of lupivot 22 thus forcing bricant applied to the wheels and track is al'w(ys under the control of the operator of the car.

While I have shown and described the device as applied to the front'and rear wheels of the'truck it is obvious the same may be applied only to the front or the rear wheels -as'desired On cars having two trucks my invention'may be applied to both ends of the'car either end.

the truck at and operated from My invention may also be operated by Copies of this patent may be obtained for electricity or' compressedair or may be operated automatlcally.

Having thus descr1bed my 1nvent1on,w11at I claim is:

1. A car wheel and curve lubricator comprising a holder mounted in close proximity to 'a wheel, a stick of lubricating material fitted in said holder and having apin projecting therefrom, and means connected with said pin for forcing said stick of lubricating material against the flange of the wheel.

2. The combination with a car truck, of a car-wheel and curve lubricator comprising aholder mounted in close proximity to Commissioner of Patents, 1 

